FOCUS: Brindle’s Manse

Preparing to release their new EP, jangly guitar pop band Brindle’s Manse will bring their multi-genre sound to North Shields’ Engine Room on Thursday 21^st November. Here, they tell us more about themselves…

Who are you and where are you from?

Bill, Paul Borys and John, aka Brindle’s Manse. We’re a jangly guitar band. We’re drawn from as far away as Ukraine and Florida. Somewhere between these places is the North East of England.  Brindle’s Manse is also a housing estate near Seahouses. Maybe that means that Northumberland is the centre of the world?

What is it you do?

We are possibly the musical equivalent of one of those Japanese soldiers they found in the jungle who still thinks the war is on. We still think indie guitar music is fresh and trendy. It is, isn’t it? If not, it should be.

How long have you been doing it?

Bill and Paul met on a musicians dating site and did most of our initial writing via online collaboration, swapping music across the ether between Florida and North Northumberland over the last couple of years. Borys and John joined along the way and brought the grooooooove…

What inspires you?

We stand on the shoulders of musical giants – yeah, rubbish cliché. We consume all sorts of musical styles – if a song needs a hit of Dick Dale or Ennis Morricone, we chuck it in. We’re shamanic and shambolic musical magpies. But mainly, as Nile Rogers said on Desert Island Discs (when he chose all of his own songs!), you’ve got to be a fan of your own music.

Tell us about your music

It’s like cooking a meal. Keep it simple with good ingredients, then do some fancy stuff on top to make it more interesting.

What have you got coming up in the future?

We’re going to release an album recently recorded at Blank in Newcastle. We wanted it to hang together as a 2 x 20 minutes album rather than just a bunch of songs. For those who are old enough to remember, we wanted to recreate the excitement and jeopardy of going to Windows, Callers or even Boots, handing over £5 for an album, reading the sleeve notes on the bus home and then listening to the record as many times as needed to like it all. We released a double A side on Bandcamp and have also done a CD with rare bonus tracks. Bill and Paul decided we couldn’t wait for a 30th anniversary to release the box set of oddments. We might not be around… Then in the New Year we’ll release the album on vinyl, CD, compact cassette, eight track cartridge and wax cylinder. Available on Bandcamp and, later, in all good charity shops’ bargain bins. And we’ve got some gigs planned.  

Where can people find out more about you?

Please follow us on Facebook and Bandcamp. And say hello at a gig. We’re a nice bunch, you know.